Inventory storage systems are used within various warehouses and manufacturing facilities to organize products, components, parts, assemblies and other items for retrieval and storage. Often, inventory items to be stored in such facilities are placed on pallets that are sized and shaped to facilitate the transport of such items within or around the warehouse or facility. For example, pallets can be structured to be easily lifted and carried by forklifts used within the facility. Alternatively, some inventory items may be transported and stored without being placed on pallets. In either manner, the inventory items may be stored on multi-platform or multi-level pallet racks within a given facility. Due to the vast number of inventory items that are typically stored as well as the substantial number of possible pallet rack locations and positions where those items can be placed, organizing and tracking inventory can be a demanding task.
Conventional inventory management systems often employ optics-based systems to track pallets. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,882,432 (“Bastian, II”) discloses an automated storage and retrieval system which employs robotics-guided placement of pallets, as well as laser depth sensors and three-dimensional computerized models to track the position of pallets. However, systems like Bastian, II which rely on optics, computerized models and other estimations are susceptible to errors. Such optics-based systems also provide limited information with regards to the inventory, and for instance, are not capable of providing more intuitive feedback as to the weight of the individual pallets, the cumulative weight of pallets on a given pallet rack, the relative positions of pallets on a given rack, the number of pallets per pallet or pallet rack, the stability of pallets on a pallet rack, and the like. Furthermore, systems such as in Bastian, II require a substantial amount of new infrastructure and are not readily retrofittable to existing pallet racks.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages associated with conventional inventory management and tracking systems, a need exists for a more retrofittable solution, which minimizes the need for additional infrastructure and provides reliable information with respect to each pallet and pallet rack. Moreover, there is a need to provide additional feedback relating to the stability and safety of each pallet or pallet rack. There is also a need for a solution that is capable of easily digitalizing the manual aspects of storing inventory for implementation with remote and/or automated management techniques.